from the center of the bunch that thrusts out at the top. But smell also comes into play, as with melons. Like figs, pineapples quickly ferment, so don't buy any with soft spots or squashy bottoms. As a matter of fact, although we always prefer any fresh fruit to canned, the Hawaiian canned slices and spears have an advantage over the fresh fruit in that they are picked fully ripe. We like the snap of a fine, fresh pine, but when we stop to figure that it costs three or four times as much as the canned article we pass it up. In general, a good canned brand is more dependable and brings with it a whole lot of appetizing juice that comes in handy for drinks and sauces. So, our mind is made up that canned pineapple is the very best fruit buy the year 'round. You're certain of quality with absolutely no waste. And canned slices or spears are a much better buy than just the juice, because you get both the fruit and a richer juice. Plums and Prunes. Prunes are a species of plum best suited for drying, but when fresh they're as fine as any plum or apricot. In fact Damsons are shipped from Washington under the name "Italian prunes." A grandmother of ours had a prune tree on her front lawn in Lansing, Michigan, and when the fruit was ripe we couldn't get enough of it. But since most of us haven't a yard, let alone a prune tree, we'll have to use what plums we can get and these are usually good value, if mellowly ripe but not squashy. Since the flavor varies widely with different kinds, it's always wise to sample one before buying a whole basket, for a juiceless plum can be as unpalatable as a wrinkled sun-dried prune. Try peeled green-gages just plain for Sunday night supper, or plum cake with tea. Pomegranates. One of the best pushcart buys we know is this classical food of Prosperpine, now grown abundantly in the West and shipped everywhere. The heaviest, biggest sunset-glowing ones are most-for-your-money and that money is usually a nickel apiece, or less, because only foreigners, Greeks and Italians especially, really appreciate this exceptional fruit. We Browns like the bitter- sweet tartness, yet often we leave them sitting around till they be- gin to wizen and dry, because we like their exotic decorative ap- pearance even more than that of Mexican ornamental gourds — probably because you can actually eat them after enjoying their colorful warmth. And another reason we don't rush to eat them is THE PICK OF THE PUSHCART I79 because they're too hard to get at and then nibble, pip by pip. That's one way to eat them, but the worst. It's better to collect a mouthful at a time; but the easiest way is to cut a wide hole in the end, being careful to get rid of all bitter skin and then squeeze gently and suck as you would an orange. Very gentle squeezing is necessary, because if you bruise the skin or any of the million mem- branes, fibres, cores, or even the seeds themselves, you get a mouth- puckering dose. The juice makes a good drink by itself, with ice and plain or fizz water — we call it pomegranatade. You can also put a kick in a fruit salad by squeezing some tart pomegranate juice over it, or add a refreshing acid touch to such a drink as a gin rickey. But time and trouble must be taken to get only the juice of the pips and none of the skin, pith or seeds.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

from the center of the bunch that thrusts out at the top. But smell also comes into play, as with melons. Like figs, pineapples quickly ferment, so don't buy any with soft spots or squashy bottoms. As a matter of fact, although we always prefer any fresh fruit to canned, the Hawaiian canned slices and spears have an advantage over the fresh fruit in that they are picked fully ripe. We like the snap of a fine, fresh pine, but when we stop to figure that it costs three or four times as much as the canned article we pass it up. In general, a good canned brand is more dependable and brings with it a whole lot of appetizing juice that comes in handy for drinks and sauces. So, our mind is made up that canned pineapple is the very best fruit buy the year 'round. You're certain of quality with absolutely no waste. And canned slices or spears are a much better buy than just the juice, because you get both the fruit and a richer juice. Plums and Prunes. Prunes are a species of plum best suited for drying, but when fresh they're as fine as any plum or apricot. In fact Damsons are shipped from Washington under the name "Italian prunes." A grandmother of ours had a prune tree on her front lawn in Lansing, Michigan, and when the fruit was ripe we couldn't get enough of it. But since most of us haven't a yard, let alone a prune tree, we'll have to use what plums we can get and these are usually good value, if mellowly ripe but not squashy. Since the flavor varies widely with different kinds, it's always wise to sample one before buying a whole basket, for a juiceless plum can be as unpalatable as a wrinkled sun-dried prune. Try peeled green-gages just plain for Sunday night supper, or plum cake with tea. Pomegranates. One of the best pushcart buys we know is this classical food of Prosperpine, now grown abundantly in the West and shipped everywhere. The heaviest, biggest sunset-glowing ones are most-for-your-money and that money is usually a nickel apiece, or less, because only foreigners, Greeks and Italians especially, really appreciate this exceptional fruit. We Browns like the bittersweet tartness, yet often we leave them sitting around till they begin to wizen and dry, because we like their exotic decorative appearance even more than that of Mexican ornamental gourds — probably because you can actually eat them after enjoying their colorful warmth. And another reason we don't rush to eat them is THE PICK OF THE PUSHCART I79 because they're too hard to get at and then nibble, pip by pip. That's one way to eat them, but the worst. It's better to collect a mouthful at a time; but the easiest way is to cut a wide hole in the end, being careful to get rid of all bitter skin and then squeeze gently and suck as you would an orange. Very gentle squeezing is necessary, because if you bruise the skin or any of the million membranes, fibres, cores, or even the seeds themselves, you get a mouthpuckering dose. The juice makes a good drink by itself, with ice and plain or fizz water — we call it pomegranatade. You can also put a kick in a fruit salad by squeezing some tart pomegranate juice over it, or add a refreshing acid touch to such a drink as a gin rickey. But time and trouble must be taken to get only the juice of the pips and none of the skin, pith or seeds.

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